Lady Griz cruise, take 5-1 record into league

Saturday, November 27

Phoenix, Ariz.

Noon

Montana

5-1

Nicholls State

2-5

Montana

Nicholls State

11/27/2021 3:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

Same court, different Lady Griz team.

Twenty-four hours after struggling to defeat Houston Baptist in overtime, the Montana women's basketball team used a big start and rolled to an 80-45 victory over Nicholls State on Saturday on the final day of the Grand Canyon Women's Basketball Classic in Phoenix.

The Lady Griz (5-1) raced out to a 14-0 lead less than three and a half minutes into the game and led 29-4 after the first quarter. And just like that, the outcome had been decided.

"You start the right way, things are a lot different," said head coach Brian Holsinger, whose team shot 51.7 percent and had a season-high 20 assists.

"We moved the ball and found the open person. We're learning that passing is really important, that taking care of the ball and making the right pass at the right time to the right person is important."

The Lady Griz entered the game with 16 made 3-pointers through their first five games, those makes coming on 73 attempts, a percentage of .219 that didn't jibe with a team that sat 4-1.

Saturday was more like it. Montana went 5 for 7 from the arc in the first quarter and was 9 for 12 at the half, by which point the Lady Griz had built their lead to 46-16.

Montana finished the game 14 for 22 (.636), just two makes off the program record set in 2005-06.

"We broke out," said Holsinger. "You see them go in in practice and you wonder, when are we going to start making them in the game?"

Seven players hit 3-pointers, with Carmen Gfeller making all three of her attempts, Sophia Stiles and Nyah Morris-Nelson both going 3 for 4.

It was a game of relief for Morris-Nelson, who went into Saturday 0 for 12 from the arc on the season. She hit all three of her 3-point attempts in the first half on her way to a career-high 11 points.

"She's a good shooter but she hadn't shown it," said Holsinger. "When she made the first one, you could see the smile on her face, on all our faces because we know how good of a shooter she is.

"Today was neat for her to kind of break out of that."

Gfeller would finish with 17 points on super-efficient 5-of-6 shooting, Stiles would pack her stat line with 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for her third career double-double.

One day after playing 42 minutes, Stiles shot 8 for 11 and turned the ball over just twice.

"She's our leader. She's an important player for us and somebody we all follow. She came out today and was lights out. She played like she can and like she should," said Holsinger.

Even holding a 30-point halftime lead, the teaching never stops for Holsinger and his staff.

Nicholls State scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter, prompting Holsinger to call a timeout. The Colonels (2-5) weren't going to come back, but that wasn't the point.

"I'm going to coach them to play the right way all the time," he said. "That's what I'm about, and our kids are getting there."

Nine seconds after the timeout, Stiles scored and all was right once again.

The nature of the game allowed all 13 players on the roster to get court time. Eleven of them scored, nine had assists.

On a day when Sammy Fatkin didn't reach double figures in scoring for the first time this season – and didn't need to – Montana's reserves piled up 32 points on 12-of-25 shooting.

"Fantastic. We need those kids. I'm proud of those guys coming in and being focused and playing the right way," said Holsinger.

"When everybody comes in and contributes and everybody comes in and does the right thing, it helps our team get better all the way around. I couldn't be more pleased with them."

At 5-1, Montana is off to its best start since the 2013-14 team opened 6-1.

The Lady Griz will take the momentum of their four-game winning streak into the start of Big Sky Conference play next week.

Montana will host Sacramento State at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Northern Colorado at 2 p.m. on Saturday.